Dr. Edward Paul Herrmann

Dr. Edward Paul Herrmann

Dr. Edward Paul Herrmann was born in Cherokee, Iowa, on July 12, 1929, the first of three sons to Edward George Herrmann and Laura Jeanette Dewar. He died on January 9, 2014, in Kirksville, Missouri.

Ed's father was a herdsman and his mother was one of the first female doctors in Iowa. During his early years the family moved around northern Iowa. By the age of ten, Ed was spending his summers doing farm work. By 16, the family had settled in Fort Madison where Ed finished high school and earned his pilot's license. He attended college on a track scholarship. Ed met his future wife Dolores in 1948 at Parsons College in Iowa. They were married in June 1950, and never spent a night apart for the next 63 years.

While studying at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ed worked as an usher in the movie theater and at the printing press for the local newspaper. After graduating in 1953 he was recruited to become the doctor at Crawfordsville, Iowa. While there, he also served on the local school board and initiated several legal cases to bring equal recognition to osteopathic doctors.

In 1963 Ed moved the family back to Kirksville where returned to KCOM to study surgery. He later established and was the head of the orthopedic surgery department at Kirksville Osteopathic Hospital. He taught at KCOM, was in charge of the Emergency Room at KOH, established the sports medicine programs for the local college and high school, and was instrumental in establishing the statewide emergency medical program for Missouri. Ed was fully committed to the best medical care possible, and was constantly striving to learn more and improve his practice. He was among the first to perform total hip and total knee replacement surgery. Throughout his career, Ed insisted on making the health and care of his patients the highest priority. As a result, he often found himself at odds with hospital administrators, insurance representatives, and others who did not share this value.

After retiring in 1990, Ed pursued his interests in photography and golf, taught adult Sunday school classes at church, and he and Dolores travelled. An avid reader throughout his life, Ed also enrolled in college to study writing, and eventually published a novel and a collection of short stories.

Besides his wife Dolores, Ed is survived by his brother George, who lives in Rock Island, Illinois; his son Ed and grandson Harry, who live in Chicago; his daughter Debbie, last known to be living near Washington, DC; and several nieces and nephews in Illinois, Texas, and Tennessee.

Funeral service will be held at 3:00 p.m. Monday (January 13, 2014) at Davis-Playle-Hudson-Rimer Funeral Home with Reverend Sheila Swafford officiating. Burial will be in Park View Memorial Gardens.

Visitation with the family will be from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Monday at the Davis-Playle-Hudson-Rimer Funeral Home, 2100 E. Shepherd Ave., Kirksville, MO 63501 660-665-2233